Rise of the Alchemy God

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Guo Tao had imagined countless times the day his sister would rise from that bed completely healthy, just as she once was.

So, when he saw that what he was witnessing was real, he rushed towards her and gave her a tight hug.

Guo Lan, still coming to terms with the fact that her body seemed to have healed, saw her brother rushing over and wrapping her in a hug.

Although the sight of his siblings was touching, Ethan didn't pay much attention.

He was lost in thought.

Bai Yu, on the other hand, was happy.

Noticing Ethan's lack of attention to the scene, she nudged him lightly on the side, giving him a sharp glance.

'What?'

He wasn't sure why the dragon woman was throwing him such looks.

Finally, Guo Tao broke away from the embrace and turned to Ethan, and said:

"I... I really don't know how to thank you. I'm willing to do anything to repay this debt I owe you," he said in a humble tone.

Seeing her brother addressing the handsome man so respectfully, she realized it was him who had healed her.

Struggling to get up, she prepared to thank him as well.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't anything too difficult," Ethan said, gesturing for them to remain seated.

It was true, it hadn't been particularly complicated to eliminate the demonic Qi in the girl.

Besides, he knew that if he dared ask for anything in return, he'd likely have to face an angry dragon woman.

After scaring him a little, Ethan eventually agreed to his request for help and had set off with him to his home.

In truth, there wasn't anything the young man could offer him, and it didn't cost Ethan much to help him, so he accepted without much fuss.

And, well, Ethan could tell Bai Yu had a soft spot for children. He knew she would have forced him to accept even if he tried to refuse, so one way or another, he would have ended up curing the girl.

Although, he had to admit this small incident turned out to be useful in a way. He had now discovered the presence of demonic Qi even on this continent.

Ethan was certain that demons had managed to infiltrate here as well, which was a cause for concern, as the Long Hao still believed the Beast Continent was safe.

What confused him was the fact that Lon Hao seemed to be certain that there were no demons in the Beast Continent, and that was because his contact with this continent had assured him that there were none.

Ethan didn't know if they were unaware of the demons' presence or if they were simply trying to hide it, which he found highly unlikely, but it was still a worrying matter.

Initially, he had only planned to make a brief visit here before heading to the Demon Continent.

But now, with this discovery, he realized he needed to deal with the situation here first. Otherwise, eliminating the demons on the Demon Continent wouldn't be enough.

Within a few years, the Beast Continent would become completely corrupted.

***

Meanwhile, to the east of the capital, in a mountain range, stood a grand palace that would shame any structure on the Human Continent.

The palace was imposing, built entirely of white marble that reflected the light with a faint golden glow.

Its towers soared into the sky, solid and well-defined, while the broad staircases led to a monumental entrance adorned with dragon-shaped carvings.

Inside, the space was vast, with large columns supporting the high ceiling and intricate engravings that echoed the theme of the royal dragon family.

Currently, in the palace's main corridor, a man dressed regally was walking alone through the expansive hall.

The man stood out due to the two small horns on his head and his reptilian-like eyes.

He was Han Lei, the third son of the current king of the Dragon Kingdom.

As he walked, he heard a voice reach his ears:

"Young Master Lei, the curse has been cast on the surrounding kingdoms.

In a few years they will all be ready to be conquered," the voice said.

Han Lei didn't turn around or stop. He continued walking at a moderate pace, a grin forming on his face.

"A few more years, you say?

No, I've already waited far too long. At this point, it shouldn't be a problem to unleash the curse and subjugate the five kingdoms with ease, right?" he said, displeased with the news.

"..."

The voice didn't respond immediately, remaining silent for a few moments before finally saying:

"It is possible, but this would be no different from ruling over a pile of corpses, Young Master.

Are you truly fine with this?" the voice asked, attempting to persuade the third prince to reconsider his approach.

The speaker was Han Lei's personal servant and mediator between him and the demons.

Due to a demonic contract, the servant was incapable of refusing Han Lei's orders, let alone betraying him or revealing his plans to the king.

Thus, he could only try to steer Han Lei towards the least destructive path for the kingdom.

Although he believed someone like Han Lei wasn't suited to rule, it was still better than seeing the kingdom completely consumed by flames.

For the time being, his options were extremely limited and he tried to exploit every little opportunity that came his way.

However, he soon realized he had underestimated the madness of the third prince.

"So what?

They are our subjects, and as such, they should be honored to contribute to my cause.

Losing a few lives isn't that important. The important thing is to successfully dethrone my father," Han Lei said, his eyes glinting with unstable light.

A maid passing through the corridor overheard his words and, terrified, tried her best to avoid meeting the prince's gaze as she continued on her way.

She knew that what she had heard could very well be fatal to her, so she tried not to draw attention to herself in front of the crazed prince.

Unfortunately for her, luck was not on her side today.

"Hey, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?" Han Lei suddenly said, no longer in the corridor but right behind her.

The maid felt a chill of dread run through her body. Struggling to turn around, she bowed deeply.

"Y-your Highness, I was just taking the dirty laundry to the castle's laundry room," she said, trying to appear as composed as possible.

She didn't want him to realize she had heard what he said, though it was hard to avoid, given how loudly he had shouted those things.

"Oh, really? That's a relief. After all, what would we do if we didn't have clean clothes when we needed them, right?" he said with a smile, motioning for her to go.

Thinking she had escaped unscathed, the maid bowed and continued, trying not to appear in a hurry.

The farther she walked, the lighter the weight of fear pressing on her heart became.

Just as she neared a side corridor leading to the castle's laundry, she suddenly froze, her body going rigid.

A hand gripped her shoulder, and before she could even flinch, Han Lei's voice resounded once more.

"By the way, did you happen to hear what I said earlier?" he asked.

"N-no, I swear I didn't hear anything," she replied.

Han Lei nodded, then, leaning closer to her ear, he whispered:

"I see. Then tell me, why is your body trembling?"